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They are deep
The improvement of Westbrook & Ibaka and more consistency from Harden
If you rank the Top 5 players in the matchup
1a)James
1b)Durant
3)Westbrook
4)Wade
5)Harden
I personally stated in the past that only the Heat can beat the Heat (mental issues) but I think the Thunder are just better. Unless Westbrook vs Durant drama heats up, is anyone can beat these guys over 7 games?
They are deep
They aren't the only ones. Several teams are more talented than the Heat, top to bottom.
It really depends where you put Wade. I put Westbrook above him and I would honestly put Deng almost on par at this point of his career.
But if you buy into the Wade is a TOP5 player then the Heat still beat out Chicago. That is the only other team in the discussion and I still put the Heat at another level in terms of talent/athleticism.
Westbrook sucks. OKC will regret franchising him
I've changed my opinion this season.
Heat>Bulls
On any given night, either of these guys can beat the other. They are all about the same. We will see how they handle a series though.
Not quite
Westbrook & Harden are still players on the rise. Durant, James & Bosh can't get much better & Wade is already declining
It's the fact the Thunder have depth in the post that should scare Miami. Because not only are the Thunder guards/forwards better (Durant, Westbrook, Harden vs James, Wade & Mario) but Perkins & Ibaka are just as good as Bosh & Anthony. X factors are Battier & Collison
- More PPG
- Less TOV per game
- Higher Shooting %
This season
at kissing Chuckbrooks stat ass
The thunder will have a more difficult time getting to the finals than actually winning the finals if they get there. The Heat still have to beat a very good Chicago Bulls team and its not given they will.
I was shocked that HH's favorite player got his pushed in by KD. Maybe LeHype needs to get acne.
Harden > Bosh....?
Westbrook > Wade.....?
Would take Harden any day over Bosh.Harden > Bosh....?
Westbrook > Wade.....?
But.g @ Westbrook>Wade
You won't find someone who's criticized Bosh more than I have, but that's ridiculous. James Harden was unknown by most people prior to this year when people discovered that among Harden, Westbrook and Durant, Harden was the one who didn't have a chimp brain. Chris Bosh still puts up 18 and 8 having to play almost entirely off Wade and Bron (while Harden puts up a lot of points as the 6th man when Westbrook and Durant are off the court). Bosh also being 6'11" gives him more of an edge, I don't think it's close between the two.
-Harden was shining last year in the playoffs, in fact he was the only reason OKC challenged the Mavs in crunch time.
-You just complimented Harden on the second bolded sentence.
- Since you are the first one to state the comparisons, it's unfair that you include size in the pro's and con's because they don't play the same position. All we can argue about is who is more efficient and who is more helpful to the team and I think Harden wins that. , if Scott Brooks will just let Harden hold the ball in crunch time, whether he shoots it or pass to an open player(which is most likely he'll do, because he has high IQ), then the West is ed.
still too early to say OKC will come out of the west this year tbh s definitely have a chance but they're facing serious challenges from teams who're more experienced & consistent
Bosh averaged 18.6 points, 8.5 boards, and 1.1 assists in the playoffs last year. Harden averaged 13.0 points, 3.6 boards, and 5.4 assists. Not sure how last year's playoffs are proof that Harden > Bosh when Bosh put up better numbers on a team that went further.
I know. I'm saying the fact the other two members of OKC's "big 3" if you will have the bball IQ of an ape, so it makes Harden stand out that much more when he's the only one of the three making plays in crunch time. I'm not denying the fact Harden is OKC's best ball handler/decision maker in crunch time or the fact he's a smart player. He is, but he hasn't been consistently putting good numbers up consistently for years the way Bosh has as both the Raptors' best player and Heat's 3rd best player.
Given how much more Bosh does in the rebounding department, I'd say height is an extremely important factor when comparing the two. Bosh's height enables him to do things Harden can't, which is a big reason why I'd take him. a 6'11" guy capable of 20 10 every night who finds ways to get 18 and 8 as the 3rd wheel is a lot harder to come by than a 6'5" SG who's a good scorer, a decent creator off the dribble, and not much else.
Chris Bosh carried a team with TJ Ford and Anthony Parker as the 2nd and 3rd leading scorer to 47 wins. I don't see James Harden ever being capable of doing that. Like I said, I'm a fan of Harden, but you're comparing a 3rd year player having a semi-breakout year to a guy who's been considered one of the top players at his position for years with multiple all star births. Harden is an easy player to like and Bosh is an easy player to hate, but Bosh is still better. He's become underrated because of how much criticism he took last year.
But he doesn't because it's still more or less Durant and Westbrook's team, just like the Heat are still Lebron and Wade's team. Bosh has settled into a role where he's a productive scorer without getting tons of plays run through him. I don't see Harden as good when he has to play off Westbrook/Durant.
Problem for the Thunder is that the Spurs own them and have toyed with them in 2 games this year despite missing stars. If they meet in the playoffs the methodical and deeper Spurs will take them out as Parker will make Westbrooke his b*&^ again and now with Leonard, Jackson and others Durant and Mr. Beard will not be able to sustain enough to win a series.
Agree, Thunder is deep. Like Lexington Steele balls deep.
But Miami has the best closer (Wade). As long as Wade and Bron are healthy, I like Miami's chances.
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